Google, which ranked second from 2006 to 2012, slipped to the
third spot this year. And Samsung, which was in the middle of the
pack at No. 26 in 2008, has been on a consistently upward
trajectory, landing at the No. 2 spot in this year’s ranking.

While the innovation list is extremely tech-heavy at the top, the
auto industry made a noticeable appearance this year. Not only
was electric automaker Tesla -- the brainchild of iconic
entrepreneur Elon Musk -- on the list for the first time, but
more traditional car manufacturers Ford and BMW ranked in the top
10.

"Tech and telecom still rule a big part of the innovation roost,"
Kim Wagner, a BCG senior partner and coauthor of the report, said
in a statement. "But we are also seeing a resurgence in
recognition for the ability of traditional manufacturers to
innovate in product, process, and technology. Auto companies are
leading the way."

Also notable in this year's report is a new section recognizing a
handful of what BCG calls "up and coming" companies – companies
that are still relatively young or have yet to reach "global
giant" status. In this category, BCG recognized Alibaba, Groupon,
mobile messaging platform Line (NHN Corporation), Netflix,
Pinterest, internet-retailer Rakuten, Spotify, Square, free
messaging platform WhatsApp and consumer electronics company
Xiaomi Technologies.

The BCG innovation report is the result of a global survey of
more than 1,500 senior executives in a wide variety of industries
across many geographic regions. The majority of those surveyed
say that innovation is within the three top priorities for their
companies.